A Choice Among the Clouds
by NarutoCraze
Summary: After the invasion of Konoha, life is finally back to normal again. However, new Chuunin Shikamaru Nara, is about to find his world shaken when he stumbles upon love. But when his Shinobi life threatens to tear apart his first love, which will he choose?
1. Chapter 1

It was still early in the morning as the sun's rays spread over the rooftops of Konoha. By now, most families were up, enjoying a quiet breakfast; and the Nara clan was no different. The table was set for three, with bowls and silverware placed accordingly; however, only Shikaku occupied a seat. In the kitchen, Yoshino busily prepared breakfast with a list of chores for the day running through her mind.

"The day's not long enough to get everything done," Yoshino sighed. "This whole house needs to be cleaned from the inside out; we're low on rice, so I need to go shopping; and Shikaku better fix the leaking sink in the bathroom!"

"Shikaku, make sure you-" Yoshino paused, seeing that only her husband sat at the dining table.

"Shikamaru! Get down here right now!" she shouted frustratingly.

Up in his room, Shikamaru huffed, rolling his eyes at his mother's bossiness as he climbed out of bed.

"What a drag," he sighed, annoyed at his mother, "And Dad wonders why I question his decision in marriage."

Outside, the people of Konoha were beginning their daily routines in the streets of their village; it was incredible how all the villagers pulled together to rebuild their home and get back to their normal lives. After all, it had only been a little while since the invasion of Konoha, the destruction caused by Orochimaru and his summonings, the Third Hokage's death...

Shikamaru watched quietly, the events all replaying in his mind.

_It all happened so damn quick. We all were watching the match, and then came the genjutsu--the invasion--chasing Sasuke--staying behind--Asuma-sensei..._

"Shikamaru! You've got fifteen seconds to get down here!"

* * *

"Hurry up and eat, Shikamaru!" Yoshino barked. "You and father have alot of chores to do today."

"Chores?" Shikamaru shot back, a confused look on his face.

"Yes: chores. And don't you talk to me in that kind of tone!" Yoshino replied, a fiery look in her eyes as she glared at her son.

_Great. And here I thought I'd get to enjoy the day, staring at the clouds. What a drag..._

"I've made a list for you to follow. I'll be out shopping, and when I get back, I expect this place to be sparkling clean."

Shikamaru groaned. "I hate cleaning."

"Well that's just too bad," Yoshino glared, "because you'll do what your mother tells you!"

"Yeah, yeah-"

"Shikamaru, be quiet." Shikaku intervened. "You don't argue with your mother."

_You're so whipped_, Shikamaru thought to himself, shaking his head at his father's courage, or rather, lack thereof.

"Besides," Shikaku grinned, "You know you like hanging out with your Old Man!"

_He's got a point. It beats having to be bossed around by Mom all day_.

* * *

"I just don't get it," Shikamaru said, as he watched his dad lying underneath the bathroom sink.

"What's that?" Shikaku grunted.

"Why in the world did you marry a woman like Mom? She's bossy, thinks she knows everything, yells all the time-"

"Oh, Shikamaru," Shikaku sighed, pulling himself out from underneath the leaky sink to look at his son. He grinned. _Shikamaru, son: you're not quite yet a man who understands the needs and wants for a woman, yet not a little boy who's still afraid girls have germs. _"It's like I've told you before: even the roughest woman is tender to the man she loves."

Shikamaru grunted, a sarcastic grin on his face.

"You'll understand one day," Shikaku went on, "Women...they're...well, um...see, men need women. To begin with, men can't even be born into this world without a woman. And think about it, Shikamaru: think of all the things your mom does for us-she cleans, cooks our meals, washes our clothes, just all the little things you never notice from day-to-day. And not only the small things she does as a mother, but for me, personally, she fulfills her role as a wife-"

"By bossing you around?" Shikamaru interrupted.

"She really does it for mine and your own good." he replied with a smile. "But anyway, a wife is suppose to be a girl who'll take care of you through all the good and bad days. If it wasn't for your mother's support throughout the years, I'm not sure if I'd be where I am today; and for all we know, you might have never been born into the Nara clan if things had went differently and your mom and I weren't happily together. Really, Shikamaru, she's got a tender side to her...and then...not to mention...when it comes to...um..._physical_ needs...well...a man's got to have a woman for that!"

"I get it, Dad," Shikamaru said, quick to end any discussion about "physical needs" between his parents.

"Anyways," Shikaku continued, leaning up against the leaky sink, "I guess my whole point is that as your father and as a regular guy that's already been in your shoes and had the same thoughts you do, I'm just telling you not to give up so quick on women-"

And before Shikaku could finish his thought, a loud crash rang out.

"Damn!" Shikaku cursed out. _Yoshino's gonna kill me!_

In the floor, broken pieces layed shattered across the floor: Shikaku had knocked off one of Yoshino's plant pottery.

"Damn it!" Shikaku continued, picking up the pieces. He huffed, the continued cursing. Finally, his frustration subsided. "Well, Shikamaru..."

"Huh?"

"This," he paused, referring to once-plant pottery, "needs to be fixed."

_What a drag,_ Shikamaru sighed. _Now when Mom gets home, I'm gonna have to hear about this. _

"And how do you propose it gets fixed when it's been broken into a million pieces?" Shikamaru glared.

"Guess we'll have to replace it. It came from _Otsuki's _pottery shop; I remember because it was your mother's birthday gift from me last year."

Shikmaru rolled his eyes, locking his fingers behind his head. "And what makes you think they're even gonna have the same stupid pot?"

"Well," Shikaku began, "I don't, but you're gonna go find out!"

"What?!"

"C'mon! It gives you a chance to get out of the house for a while!"

_Oh man, what a drag! And here I thought this day couldn't get any lamer!_

"Here!" Shikaku said, tossing Shikamaru money, "Go down to _Otsuki's_ and try to find this exact pot. If they don't have it...I don't know...pick something that looks as close to it as you can."

Shikamaru huffed as he walked out the door. _Well there goes my afternoon of cloud watching! All because of a stupid pot...what a drag!_


	2. Chapter 2

Outside on the village streets, the busy people of Konoha rushed around, trying to get their daily tasks done and over with. Always the odd man out though, Shikamaru strolled lazily, his hands shoved in his pockets as he watched around him.

_I get a day off from training, yet here I am: having to do work,_ he sighed, looking up at the sky. _And today's perfect to just lie on my back and watch the clouds!_

* * *

It was already ten o'clock, and _Otsuki's Pottery_ had only seen two customers so far today. Yuuka sighed, closing her eyes as the sun glimmered off a freshly glazed pot.

"The morning's almost up, and that's when we're usually our busiest." she whispered to herself. "But lately, business just isn't in our favor..."

_Otsuki's Pottery_ was no novice to the businesses in Konoha. It had been around for quite a while, but it seemed as more the years passed, the less people were interested in hand-crafted pottery; and this worried Yuuka. After all, she planned on making her father's business her own when he passed.

"I'm not sure if our little store will last too much longer though," she sighed sadly, twirling her hair.

Yuuka Otsuki: daughter of Yukio and Chima Otsuki, sister to Chokurou Otsuki. Though she was only seven years old when her mother passed, Yuuka was forced to grow up and take on the maternal role of the Otsuki family; in fact, around the village, she was thought of as a wise, old spirit, put in a young girl's body. However, people also began to notice little Yuuka was no longer "little", but, in fact, a maturing young woman-especially the boys.

But any chance a boy had fantasized in his head about Yuuka was completely torn down by her father and brother. Since the death of Chima, neither could bare the thought of losing Yuuka, too, whether by death or her hand in marriage. In other words, Yuuka was completely and utterly under protection of Yukio and Chokuro.

This, of course, drove her crazy sometimes. _After all, _she would think, _I'm thirteen now-once a girl, but now a woman! My next duty in life is to marry a man who'll protect me, make a family with me..._However, her rebellious thought would always end there. _But I guess that's not the life for me: I suppose my purpose is to always look after my only family I'll ever have: Dad and Chokuro_. And then she'd go on about her day, doing her daily chores for Yukio and Chokuro, with a sweet sadness about her.

Yukio knew this: he knew his daughter's yearning to live her own life, her wishful thinking of marriage to the perfect man, becoming the caring wife and mother of a perfect family. He knew she could do all these things...but, he just couldn't let her go.

_She's my baby girl_, he would think to himself, searching for reasons to support his beliefs. _I watched her grow up; I was there the first time she fell and scraped her knee, trying my damnedest to stop her crying; I was there when she needed someone to help her with the pain of losing a mother; I've always been there-Chokuro, too! What man could she find out there to do all of these things! _Yukio would pause, observing his daughter from a distance, marveling at how beautiful she grew everyday, how more and more she looked like Chima.

As a girl, Yuuka hated the fact that her mother refused to let her have her long, black hair cut off. "It's just hair!" she would argue, "It'll grow back!". But, nonetheless, she listened and stubbornly obeyed her mother's words. Since Chima's death, Yuuka keeps her hair long at the waist, making sure to take care of it; her hair was somehow a comfort to her now, a gentle reminder of her mother everyday she looked in the mirror.

But just as Yukio saw his daughter's beauty, he knew the boys of Konoha saw it, too.

As a child, Yuuka was quite skinny, and unfortunately, always the shortest of all her friends. She was a spunky child, a tomboy almost, not caring whether she was covered in dirt and mud. However, at thirteen now, she was a knockout. Her skinny legs and thighs had began to fill in; her once straight-as-a-stick hips were now curvacious in all the right spots; her rail-thin arms had toned up, due to the strength needed to yield pots daily; her face had matured, no longer containing the baby fat it once had; her hair was beautifully long and always had a shine to it; she had grown somewhat in height, but still was always the shortest out of most people; and course, as every woman does, had developed breasts.

She always made sure she groomed herself to the fullest extent; in fact, if a person didn't know the real Yuuka, she could be considered quite vain. But that was altogether false with her personality. Nonetheless though, she constantly insisted she must look her best at all times of the day. She would get up the earliest time in the morning, spending a couple of hours in the bathroom, whether it was soaking and lathering in the bathtub, fixating her hair so that it stay beautiful in the morning, noon, and nighttime, applying makeup so she lured the boys (no matter what her father thought), checking her outfit for the day to see if it was a "Wow-she's gorgeous!" attention seeker or a "She's quite pretty!" normalcy, and whatever else she could fit in before her brother was up to avoid arguments over time in the bathroom.

But in the end, no matter how much time she spent on her looks, her father and brother weren't going to let a boy enjoy them; Hell would freeze over before _that_ happens.

* * *

Finally after drifting through the crowds, Shikamaru saw the sign for _Otsuki's Pottery_. Also, he saw that there was absolutely no one in or around the store.

_Well, _he thought, _at least it won't be a drag having to wait in any long lines_.

Shikamaru strolled in leisurely, hands still comfortably in his pockets. Looking around him, there must have been hundreds of pots!

"How the hell am I suppose to find one that looks like Mom's?" he said aloud. "This is such a drag."

"I'll be with you in just a second!" a voice called out.

Shikamaru perked up, a little surprised that someone was listening in on his complaints; but then his realization of the world came in.

"Great," he thought, "Not only am I down here wasting my day to find a stupid flower pot, but now I'm gonna have to deal with a woman. This is so lame."


	3. Chapter 3

"So," Shikamaru heard the woman's voice call out, still searching for a person to put it with; but then, from behind the curtained door, she stepped out.

"What is it I can help you find?"

Shikamaru stopped and found he couldn't turn his eyes away: she was pretty...no, she was gorgeous.

_C'mon, Shikamaru: get a grip, _he fought internally. _She's just a girl_.

* * *

"What is it I can help you find?" Yuuka smiled, exicted that they finally had a customer. As she made eye contact, she could just feel her face turning red. Quickly, she averted her eyes to the floor, trying her best to avoid showing her embarrassment.

_Hmm...so he's decided to come to our little store, _Yuuka thought. _Doesn't really seem to fit him, but I'm not complaining._ She giggled inwardly. _After all, he is kind of cute._

"I need a flower pot." Shikamaru replied blankly.

_You need a flower pot? How damn stupid did that sound_, he cursed quietly.

"Well," Yuuka giggled, "I _think_ we can help you. I don't know though...don't carry too many of those," she added with a wink.

Shikamaru smiled. _Witty...I like that_.

"You got something in particular? Because as you can see, we've got thousands of flower pots."

"Hell, I don't know. It's for my mom; her old one broke, so now I need to-"

"Hmm," Yuuka paused the conversation, "Sounds like guilt to me."

"What?" Shikamaru replied, a bit annoyed that he was interrupted.

With a serious look on her face, Yuuka continued. "It's just a guess, but I'd bet money that you must have broken your mother's old flower pot, which apparently had been a favorite of her's, and came down here to see if we had a replacement. And if we didn't, then you wanted me to help you find one that gets as close to the original as possible, so that your mother doesn't find out that you're the one who broke it."

Shikamaru stood silent, his arms crossed as the girl finished. _Is she trying to flirt or is she trying to mock me?_ This, too, added to his annoyance.

"So you'd bet money on it, huh?" he answered stiffly.

"I would."

"Well, I just _hate_ to be the one who bursts your bubble, but you lose."

"Excuse me?" Yuuka scoffed, a bit confused at his reaction.

Shikamaru continued. "Number one: there's absolutely no guilt because number two: _I'm _not the one who broke the damn thing, that leads to number three which is: you lose."

Yuuka smiled. _Smartass: if you weren't so cute, Chokuro would be kicking your ass out of here in a second._

"So it seems I have," she said politely, bewildering Shikamaru even more. "Well, if you can give me a description of the pottery, I can help you out."

Shikamaru sighed. _Just great: now I've hurt her feelings. This is such a drag_.

"It was white, with pink and red cherry blossom flowers painted all the way around it. And it also had swirl patterns...um...It had _Otsuki's_ engraved on the very bottom, if that means anything..."

Yuuka nodded. "Wait here, and I'll go check in the back. You can look around in the front to see if we still have one or one like it."

It was now quiet in _Otsuki's Pottery_, neither of them saying a word. Shikamaru could hear the girl in the back, clanking around pots, listening to her footsteps as she walked along the stone floor. And Yuuka listened in on Shikamaru, his pacing around the store and constant clearing of his throat. 

_Wonderful, Yuuka, just wonderful! A cute guy comes in and for once when you don't have Dad of Chokuro around, you screw it up and make him mad at you. C'mon: think of something sweet to say to him without overdoing it_!

"I was rooting for you, ya know," Yuuka called out from the back, biting her lip instantly as she anticipated an answer.

* * *

"I was rooting for you, ya know," Shikamaru heard the girl call out. He frowned, not knowing what the hell she was talking about.

"Rooting?" he called back.

"Yeah, at the Chuunin finals," she replied, coming under the arc of the door.

Shikamaru perked up at those words, as he turned to face her. _Damn, she's pretty_.

"You watched the matches?" he asked. Yuuka nodded, a lazy smile across her face. Shikamaru almost smiled back, but caught himself as he thought about the exam.

"Yeah, but I bet you were just there for the match between the Uchiha kid and the Sand ninja; everyone else was." he grunted, replaying the beginning of his match where he was booed and literally trashed.

"No, actually," she replied simply. "I was there to see all the candidates who the Jounin thought would be able to protect our village. After all, who wants to see someone who's weak and defenseless be chosen to move up in rank where they're given more responsibility in how Konoha is taken care of."

Shikamaru stood there, not really knowing what to say.

"And just for your information," Yuuka added with a smile, "If you cut down on the attitude, I think you'll live up to the reputation of being the only one out of all the genin, and especially being one of the Rookie Nine, to be considered Chuunin material, Shikamaru Nara."


	4. Chapter 4

Shikamaru stood there, meeting the eyes of this girl who's caught his attention. In a way, he almost didn't know what to say. Sure, he could think of hundreds of sarcastic comments off the top of his head. But this girl...maybe she's not as shallow as he had guessed her.

"So you really were watching all the matches, huh?" he replied, matching the tone of his voice to uninterested.

"I was." Yuuka replied simply.

"So what did you think of them? Or at least the ones that got the chance to fight before..." he trailed off.

Yuuka smiled. "Well..."

"The first match between Neji Hyuuga and Naruto Uzumaki: I was a sucker like everyone else and was _so sure_ that Neji would win. After all, everything I've heard about him...his strength, both physical and mental, after all, with him being on a genius level...his fighting style...I mean, comparing Naruto to him before it was over was pointless. But then!" Yuuka paused, adding a giggle as she relived the excitement in her head. "Watching the underdog overcome the winning pick...it was incredible! It kind of gives hope to us all, you know?"

"What do you mean?" Shikamaru questioned.

"Well, just the fact that Naruto...him being the boy who...well, you know...all the resentment he's faced...you'd think he would have given up. After all, I heard he failed the test to just _become_ a Genin like five times-"

"It was three." Shikamaru interrupted with a half-grin.

"Well, however many...for someone like him to overcome all these obstacles...and to actually come out on top...just shows you how great of Shinobi Konoha has..."

_He did surprise us all_, Shikamaru thought to himself. _Naruto's now on a whole different level_.

"So his match was your favorite I take it?"

"You're putting words in my mouth." she interjected, sticking a playful tongue out at him with a grin. Shikamaru returned the playful grin. _Hmm, then I wonder who's match _is_ her favorite?_

"I don't know who's match I liked the best." she added honestly. This put a damper on Shikamaru's grin; it didn't go unnoticed, though.

"What's wrong?" Yuuka smiled, "Were you expecting something?"

Shikamaru shrugged, shoving his hands in his pockets, a bored look returning to his face.

Yuuka giggled. "Your match didn't go unnoticed by me if that's what you're pouting about." Shikamaru said nothing in return.

"I was actually impressed by your's, too." she continued, quitening her voice. "I can understand why they choose you to move up to Chuunin. You definitely got the mindset. But I have to ask: what's with closing your fingers into a square...that part I just didn't get."

"I don't know," Shikamaru replied monotonously. "Just something I do when I start thinking about something in depth."

"Oh," she said, slightly disappointed. _Isn't he suppose to be some kind of genius? And that's the best answer he can give?_

* * *

The mood now had become slightly sour.

_I don't get it. He was all happy and flirty two minutes ago_, Yuuka thought to herself, twirling her hair between her fingers, _Did I say something wrong_?

"Well?" he said bluntly. Yuuka looked up, wrinkling her brow in a confused fashion. "Aren't you going to let in on Sasuke's match? I'm sure _that's_ the reason you went, right? To see _Sasuke_?"

"I already told you why I went," she replied sternly. _So _that's _why he got in such a bad mood. He thinks I'm just yanking him around: that I'm only wanting to talk about Sasuke and his match. He's jealous...how adorable_.

Yuuka sighed, overemphasizing. "Ya got me," she said, a guilty tone in her voice, "I only wanted to see Sasuke's match because he's such a great guy: I mean, he's _so_ strong, _nobody_ compares to him! I fight over him all the time with all the other girls: I mean, he is _mine_, after all. Who _doesn't _want Sasuke?" Yuuka tried to fight back a smile, but it broke through.

Shikamaru grunted. _So she wants to play _that _game, huh?_

"You women...you're all the same," he said, looking for any offense in the girl's eyes. "Your all pathetic...swooning over a guy such a...I don't even know, but it's something that's even beyond _my_ comprehension. Really: how can you like a guy who's always in a bad mood, thinks he's better than everyone else, and yeah, that includes all of you women, and is, in general, a complete drag."

Yuuka smiled sweetly, meeting Shikamaru's eyes. "You call us pathetic, but what I see is a guy that's so jealous he resorts to sarcasm and name-calling to reassure himself in his insecurities.

Shikamaru was caught by those words, frowning once it sunk in. _Who the hell does this girl think she is_?

"And I also see a guy that's jealous because a girl that he thinks is pretty had yet to compliment him fully on his skills, both on the fighting field and off. Am I right, Shikamaru?"

Shikamaru's face dropped. _Wh-what did she just say?!_

Yuuka continued smiling, closing her eyes as she took a deep breath. "Well, " she finally said, "Guess I better go find you that pot then, huh?" And with the knowing that she had this boy stunned and in her grasp, she turned and walked into the back room, a content smile spread across her face.

"Hey, wait-" he called out. Yuuka turned around, sticking her head around the corner.

"Here you've been knowing and calling me by my name, but your still just "the girl" in my head..." This made her smile, which in turn, made Shikamaru smile, inwardly, at least.

"Already in your thoughts, huh?" This finally made Shikamaru's smile break through. "I'm glad...And it's Yuuka. Yuuka Otsuki."


	5. Chapter 5

"Yuuka," he repeated slowly, letting the name linger on his tongue.

Yuuka smiled, tossing her hair over her shoulder. "Mmm hmm...that's my name."

They stood there quietly now, the awkward silence making its way back into the conversation. Shikamaru shuffled his feet, avoiding all eye contact; Yuuka played with her hair, clumsily tossing and twirling it.

"Well," she said, biting her lip, waiting for a reaction, "Guess I better go find what you came here for!"

_..Mom's flower pot! I completely forgot about that..._Shikamaru thought to himself; however, this actually brought disappointment in himself. _What's wrong with me? I got so wrapped up with this girl that I forgot my purpose for even coming in here. C'mon, Shikamaru: get a grip...she's not that great-_

"Found it!" she chirpped from the backroom, snapping Shikamaru out of his thinking.

_Yeah right..._he continued his earlier thoughts. _Even her voice gets to me..._

Standing in the door frame, Yuuka held the answer to Shikamaru and his dad's problem: she did find it!

"Wow, that's exactly it. That's my mom's flower pot." he replied, a relieved grin spread across his face.

"Glad I could help you," she smiled sweetly, a hint of sarcasm in her voice. _Really though, I am glad you came in here_.

"So how much do I owe you?" Shikamaru asked, reaching for his pocket.

Yuuka bit her bottom lip, thinking for a quick second. _C'mon girl: he's about to leave, and all you've done today is just told him your name? How far's _that_ gonna get you?_

"You know what?" she interjected, "Don't worry about it."

This surprised Shikamaru, but he shook his head. "You can't do that, I have to pay you something-"

"I can do that because this is my dad's shop, and I made and designed that particular piece, so I can do whatever I want with it and I'm deciding not to charge you," she finished simply. However, Yuuka could just feel the blood rushing to her cheeks. She knew she was blushing, and blushing bad.

"And why would you do such a nice thing?" Shikamaru said sarcastically, his face returned to the bored expression he came in with.

"...Because I'm...you're...I'm a nice girl, I don't know..." Her cheeks were on fire now, burning from embarrassment. She grabbed the pot off the counter, quickly wrapping it up to keep it from breaking: she needed anything right now to just avoid looking at Shikamaru.

Shikamaru smiled on the inside. He had gotten to this girl...somehow, he didn't even know _how _he did it, but he had gotten to her. _Me, Shikamaru Nara, one of the uncool guys, nowhere near popular, definitely not the guy girls go crazy over..._

"Alright, well thanks, Yuuka," Shikamaru said, keeping his cool, uninterested expression.

"No problem," she replied quietly. _What's wrong with you!? Don't let him walk out! _But no matter how she much screamed on the inside, Yuuka just couldn't get her mouth to respond. _Think of something quick, girl! He's walking out the door-_

"Shikamaru!"

Shikamaru stopped, turning around as he was midway out the door. "What?"

Yuuka opened her mouth, but nothing was coming out. _What are you doing, you idiot!? Say something! You've been so sassy and witty this whole time, and now at the end you freeze up?! C'mon!_

"I changed my mind..." she blurted out, her face just burning of embarrassment. _I _changed_ my mind?!_

"About what?"

"Well, I think you should pay for that flower pot. After all, now that I think about it, I spent a hell of alot of time on it. So I think I should get some kind of payment for it."

Shikamaru looked on in confusion. _What the hell is she talking about?_

"But you just said you didn't want anything for it. "

"Well, I changed my mind."

"You can't do that. You _just_ told me I didn't have to pay you anything!"

"Look: it's my dad's store, it's my piece of pottery, and I changed my mind." Though she sounded confident, as of right now, Yuuka was panicking.

_Stop arguing with him. You're only making these worse. Just ask him to take you out tonight-of course he'll say yes, you two will have a great time, and things we just be perfect. So just _ask!

"Shika-"

"You women..." Shikamaru interrupted, "you're all troublesome...can't ever make up your mind about anything."

"I have made up my mind, if you'd let me talk!" she rebutted.

"Fine," Shikamaru retorted, "What do you want, so I can pay you and we both move on?"

Yuuka froze again. _Oh no! You're so close-c'mon Yuuka! Just _say _it_!

"Take me on a date."

* * *

"Take me on a date," he heard Yuuka say quietly. 

_What did she just say?! _

"A date?" he repeated, still in shock at her answer.

"A date..." she replied again, biting her bottom lip, as she stared at the floor.

"You're joking, right?" Shikamaru asked, a bewildered smile on his face. This put a damper on her spirit.

Yuuka shifted awkwardly, continuing her stare at the floor. "Yeah, well what if I'm not?"

"You're serious?" he asked. Yuuka shook her head, giving him a half-smile. "Why would you want me to take you out on a date?"

Yuuka played the answer in her head of what she really wanted to tell him: "Well, since the moment you walked in here, you've held me attention. You're smart, you're hot, you're a Shinobi, and you're totally into me, too, and don't try to deny it! You've been flirting with me just as much as I've been with you. So let's go ahead and skip the middle man and all the sarcasm, go out, and make ourselves happy, huh?"

_Yeah right_, Yuuka thought, erasing that thought completely from her mind. _Like he'd fall for that. He's not that kind of guy...and what's scary is that I like that about him-the fact that he's not the average guy. Any other guy in Konoha would go out with me in a second...but Shikamaru...he's not falling for all this. He's actually playing with me...testing me, like I'm testing him. So in order to get him, I have to work._

"I already told you: as payment," she replied quickly, an innocent smile.

Shikamaru paused, giving thought to her proposal. _I wonder if she's more trouble than she's worth...but I guess there's only one way to find out...hopefully it won't be a total drag_.

"Okay," he shrugged, "I'll take you out."


	6. Chapter 6

"You what?!" Chouji yelled in shock, still able to gather food in his mouth despite his shock. Shikamaru's eyes grew wide as shot his best friend a glare. _Could he be any damn louder so everyone around them in the village could hear?_

"I'm sorry, Shikamaru, it's just..." Chouji paused, thinking hard on how to choose his wording, "I just can't see you on a date, that's all."

Shikamaru sighed, as they continued walking down the street. Chouji chuckled, glad that he decided to get up a bit earlier today for whatever reason.

_If I hadn't, then I wouldn't have seen Shikmaru leaving Otsuki's and I'm sure he wouldn't have said anything to me about it! _

* * *

Shikamaru was in his own world after he left _Otsuki's_ _Pottery_, carrying the wrapped flower pot underneath his arm; he was too busy thinking amongst himself to even notice Chouji's wave.

_Well, what's with him_? Chouji wondered, confused as to why his best friend would just ignore him. _And come to think of it..._he paused, cramming a handful of potato chips into his mouth. _Did he just come out of a pottery shop?_

"Hey! Shikamaru!" Chouji yelled, but to no advantage. _What could he possibly be thinking about _that_ much? _"Hey!" Finally, Shikamaru turned, surprised to see his friend. He waved back, stopping to let Chouji catch up.

"Hey, what's the matter with you? I called your name out like four or five times! What were you doing?" he asked, still munching away at his potato chips.

"Nothing, I just didn't hear you," Shikamaru replied honestly, shifting the flower pot under his arm.

"What's that?" Chouji asked, pointing.

Shikamaru shrugged. "My dad broke one of my mom's stupid flower pots, so I had to go find another one to replace it so she doesn't freak out; it's been a drag."

"Oh," Chouji replied understanding, "So that's why you were in _Otsuki's_."

"You saw me?" Shikamaru asked, perking up at the mention of the store.

"Yeah," he replied slowly, "Well, just coming out of it. I thought it was a little weird to be seeing you in a pottery store."

"Yeah well..." Shikamaru said, shoving his hands in his pockets, but still careful enough to balance the flower pot under his arm.

"So you want to do something tonight?" Chouji interrupted, wary of his friend's odd inattentiveness. _Sure, Shikamaru likes to space out sometimes, but this is just plain weird._

Shikamaru opened his mouth, but then quickly shut it. He shifted the pot under his arm, giving way to an awkward silence. Chouji waited patiently. Well, almost patiently.

"Did you hear me?"

"I can't."

"How come?"

"I have stuff to do..."

"Your mom making you clean the house?"

Shikamaru was tempted to lie, but he couldn't do that. There was just something about Chouji that he knew he could never betray him: not even with a simple white lie as this would have been.

"No, I just have stuff to do..."

Chouji listened, but within a second, spun in front of Shikamaru, halting him in place. Shikamaru stumbled, almost losing his balance and dropping the flower pot.

"What the hell's your problem?" he said angrily.

"We can do this the easy way or the hard way, Shikamaru!" Chouji replied loudly, holding his hand out against Shikamaru's chest to prevent him from walking.

"Chouji-"

"I mean it! The easy way or the hard way! Take your pick, because either way, you're going to tell me what's wrong with you!"

Shikamaru's shoulders slumped as he huffed.

"Chouji, move before this makes a scene and becomes troublesome." But Chouji held fast, blocking his friend's path.

_Damn it, Chouji..._

Shikamaru sighed, rolling his eyes at his best friend's determination. _Why do you have to be some damn persistant? Why couldn't you just let this go and we'd both be on our way?_

"Well?" Chouji demanded.

"I have a date," Shikamaru replied quickly, almost slurring the words together.

"C'mon, Shikamaru! Quit playing around! You know I'm not going to move until you tell me what's wrong."

"I'm serious..." Shikamaru argued, actually becoming slightly irritated at the fact that his friend acted as if him getting a date was a sign of the apocalypse. But that feeling didn't last long as he voice became drenced in a tone of defeat. "...I have a date..."

Chouji studied Shikamaru, observing him closely: avoiding eye contact, slumped shoulders, embarrassed tone. _No...he doesn't...he wouldn't...aw, Shikamaru's just pulling my chain...isn't he?_

"Uh huh," Chouji said with a grin. _Yeah right: c'mon, Shikamaru, I know you! Give me a little bit more credit than that! _"Right: you have a date tonight and that's why we can't hang out...uh huh...and who's the lucky girl then?"

"The girl at the pottery shop: Yuuka."

"Yuuka?" Chouji repeated sharply. _No way...how else would he know her name? He's never even been in there before._

"Yeah...how do you know her?" Shikamaru asked surprised.

"Oh, well me and my dad end up breaking alot of our plates and dishes," Chouji replied, slightly embarrassed, "You know how clumsy we can be. And well, we get our stuff at _Otsuki's_. They always give us good prices. Real friendly people, too. That is...as long as you don't go messing around with Yuuka."

"What do you mean?"

"Well," Chouji continued, "That's why I'm having a hard time buying this, Shikamaru. Don't get me wrong: I'm saying your a liar, it's just...Yukio and Chokuro: they're _real_ protective of her-"

"Who's that?" Shikamaru interrupted.

"Yukio's her dad and Chokuro is her brother. I mean, obviously you saw her and she's one of the prettiest girls in Konoha. But no guy can get a date with her _because_ of her dad and brother. That's why I don't get it that they'd be okay with you taking her out."

"Well _I_ never asked her: she asked me and, even though it'll probably be a drag, I said I'd take her out..."

* * *

Chouji stared, still in amazement at his friend.

"Why is this so hard to believe?" Shikamaru asked.

"No...I mean I guess it's not _that_ hard to believe: you're a real funny guy and everything. It's just...if you knew the Otsuki's...you'd understand why I'm acting like this. But..." he paused, "I'm glad for you. So what are you gonna do?"

"I don't know," Shikamaru shrugged, "Nothing too troublesome of too much of a pain in the ass to do."

"Well," Chouji said, a smile spreading across his face, "you know what this all means right?"

"What?"

"You're gonna have a girlfriend!"


	7. Chapter 7

It was about eight-thirty now, the sun had vanished from the sky, leaving it completely black, with a fit twinkling stars. Most villagers were home now as Konoha settled down for the night, save for the nightowls who just started their "day" once the sun went down. However, the Otsuki's were no different than most as they sat down for their dinner together.

Yukio at the head of the table, as always, looked around at his two children as they quietly ate. These were the kind of moments he cherished now in his older days; but he just couldn't believe how fast they were growing up. Sure, it saddened him at the fact that they were no longer his "babies"; they didn't really like to be hugged and kissed alot, like it was when they were little; they didn't need daddy as much for everything anymore. However, what broke Yukio's heart the most was that Chima wasn't here to share in the joy of watching their two children grow up. _But so is life, and I can't change it_...he drifted off into thought.

"Sell anything today, sis?" Chokuro got out between big bites.

Yuuka shrugged, letting out a loud sigh. "A few...guess it was just a slow day" she paused, "It wore me out though."

"Yuuka," her dad interrupted, "Did you sell the cherry blossom flower pot you made? Because when I did inventory on the store and balanced it with the money made today, you were short."

_Damn...you hardly ever do inventory...why pick today? Well girl: think of something to say! You can't just tell him you gave it to a guy who's taking you out on a date tonight._

"Stealing from your own family..." Chokuro sighed loudly, "You're just despicable."

Yuuka rolled her eyes at her brother, ignoring him. "Yeah, I accidentally broke it. I got bored today, so I started dusting around the shop; I wasn't paying attention I guess and knocked it off the shelf."

"Aw Yuuka, I'm sorry: I know you were real proud of that piece," her dad replied sympathetically.

Yuuka shrugged softly, playing off her dad's reaction. Folding her napkin onto her plate, she pushed away from the table. "Well, I think I'm going to get ready for bed, "she fakely yawned, "Cleaning wore me out. And besides..." she paused, a grin coming to her face.

"What?" Chokuro replied a few moments later, a bit annoyed at his sister.

"Nothing..." she said, grinning wider, "I think you two should get to be early as well: I just have a feeling that tomorrow's gonna be a good day," And with that, she pushed her chair under, and headed upstairs.

_First a bubble bath, choose my clothes, get all prettied up, and then off for my date with Shikamaru_!

* * *

At the Nara's house, they, too, sat around the dinner table together, "enjoying" family time.

"Well, it's about time you finally fixed that sink!" Yoshino sighed happily, a snappy grin directed towards her husband." Shikaku smiled weakly in return.

Shikamaru shook his head. _Man, we haven't even sat down for five minutes and Mom already lets in on the nagging_.

"I am glad, though, that you two got all the chores down in the house!" her tone now softening a bit. And though his mother kept going on about this and that, and what happened to her when she was at the grocer, Shikamaru, for once, didn't hear a word. All he was thinking about was the date.

_A date...why in the hell would I even agree to go on one? _he scolded himself quietly. _Seriously, what have I gotten myself into? I don't know a damn thing about women, except that they're pretty much all bossy and all nagging; _she's_ probably like that, too, once you get to know her. Really, I know Dad loves Mom, but seriously, he expects me to buy this bullshit that he's loved her from the moment he met her and didn't know she was like this? Bull-shit._

Shikamaru sighed loudly, not even realizing he had done so where everyone could hear.

"Is there a problem, Shikamaru?" Yoshino demanded, a bit annoyed at the interruption of her stories.

"Huh?" Shikamaru said, snapping out of his dreaming.

"'Ma'm' is what I should be hearing. Not 'huh'." she snapped at her son. _Sometimes I just don't know what to do with him!_

Shikamaru slumped his shoulders. "No ma'm," he replied. _So damn loud..._

Shikaku smiled inwardly at his son. _Boy, you'll never have luck with women if don't even know how to handle your own mother. You'll learn though, I promise: you'll understand when you meet that one girl_.

"Well, can I go on up to bed?" Shikamaru asked, pushing his plate towards the center of the table.

"Go on," Yoshino sighed. "But take your plate in the kitchen first."

_Nag, nag nag..._Shikamaru huffed, his thoughts now redirecting elsewhere. _I shouldn't even go: she was probably just messing with me, trying to make me look like an idiot. I show up and then there's no one there. This is such a drag...too much work to worry about a date with a girl I just met today...and it may all be just a fake...damn it, this is such a drag!_ _I don't know whether she was being for real or just setting me up..._

* * *

Yuuka smiled at Shikamaru's acceptance of her proposed date. "Well, then what time shall we set up to meet then?"

Shikamaru shrugged, "Can't I just come here to get you-"

"No!" Yuuka interrupted, embarrassing herself the second she realized her reaction. "My family's kind of weird about visitors afterdark. Let's meet up somewhere..." she paused, noticing the confused expression on Shikamaru's face.

"How about Ichiraku Ramen?" Shikamaru suggested lazily.

Yuuka shook her head. "I know-just meet me up on the bridge and we'll go from there!"

"What are we doing though?" Shikamaru asked, a bit annoyed that this was taking as long as it was.

"Hmm..." she paused, then finally chirping up with a big smile, "It'll be a surprise! Just meet me on the bridge at say...9:30?"

"That's late isn't?" Shikamaru interjected. _I could already be asleep by then!_

"Sorry," she said, "But that's the earliest time I have!"

Shikamaru sighed, "Fine, whatever."

* * *

Yuuka stood in front of her mirror, playing with her hair fussily. She'd pull it back with her hands, readjust her head, turning from side to side, trying to decide what looked best. Then she'd huff loudly, dissatisfied with the results. _Of all nights for nothing on me to cooperate: it just _had_ to be tonight!_

Taking a bit of makeup, she dabbed on eyeshadow lightly to her lids, powdered her face, and picked up the lipstick-

"Whoa girl," she said aloud, "Even _you're_ not that stupid to think Shikamaru's some kind of Romeo..." She then traded the lipstick for balm and smoothed it over her lips.

Once again, she stood in front of the mirror and critiqued. _Not too bad..._She checked the clock in her room-9:06 p.m. _Well..._she paused, _Guess I better get going. Dad's decently asleep so that he won't hear me go out and Chokuro's locked up in his room..._She could feel her heart beating faster.

* * *

Shikamaru stood in his own bathroom, observing his appearance. He hadn't changed anything: still had the black fishnet shirt, with the gray, shortsleeve jacket overtop; still had the plain black pants; everything for him was still the same.

_After all, _Shikamaru thought, _It's just a date with a some girl. Like I really care about my appearance. I'm sure this'll be a drag, anyway, if she even shows up..._

And with that, he headed downstairs towards the door.

"Hey! Dad!" he called out, knowing that his father sat in the den, quietly reading the newspaper.

"What?" Shikaku grunted.

"I"m going to Chouji's for a while."

"Yeah," Shikaku replied.

And with that, Shikamaru headed out the door. But a strange feeling began to overwhelm him: he could actually feel his heart rate rising with each step he took. _Calm down, Shikamaru. You're getting yourself all worked up, which is a total drag. Remember: it's just a date, and she's _just_ a girl. I'll probably be bored out of my mind anyhow. It'll probably be a total drag and waste of time tonight, you'll get it over with and that's that-"_

"Shikamaru!" he heard a quiet voice call out. Snapping out of his dreaming, Shikamaru looked up and saw her.

_Damn, she's pretty_.


End file.
